Zenless Zone Zero: Gacha Master

Inside the Cunning Hares, Hitler of St. Leen sat across from Sol Mercer.

Meanwhile, Nicole, Anby, Billy, and Baal sat in a row nearby, curiously watching the exchange.

Hitler held a glass of water, rolling it between his hands as he carefully weighed his words for Sol.

As a businessman by nature, he had to trade his chips for the greatest possible benefit.

As the weaker party, he also had to remain wary of Sol Mercer, an ACE Investigator.

To strike a balance between the two was no simple task.

And those competitors waiting outside only made his calculations harder.

"Mr. Hitler, how long do you plan to keep thinking? If it's really that difficult to decide, then please let the next person in."

Sol looked at the hesitating Hitler, his patience thinning.

At first, he thought this man's name resembled someone he once knew. But now, it was clear Hitler lacked that same decisiveness.

Hitler gave an awkward laugh, knowing he had no choice but to act: "Mr. Mercer, St. Leen is willing to take full responsibility for Hollow resource extraction and subsequent sales. The net profits will be split fifty-fifty with you."

His original hope was sixty-forty, and his bottom line was forty-sixty.

Normally, the talks should have started at seventy-thirty, but considering the competitors waiting outside, he jumped straight to fifty-fifty.

For a newly promoted ACE Investigator, fifty-fifty was already an exceptionally high opening offer.

"Mm." Sol nodded lightly. "And then?"

"If you're not satisfied, we can concede more—how about forty-five percent?" Hitler said cautiously. "We welcome your full supervision and would honor you as St. Leen's most esteemed friend."

Giving up half the profits of an entire Hollow was already a great show of sincerity.

"Oh, you can leave."

Sol directly issued his dismissal.

He knew there was still room to push, but dragging things out with this man was unnecessary—plenty of others were waiting outside.

For St. Leen to start at fifty-fifty, it seemed Belobog Heavy Industries' seventy-thirty offer really was the industry's high mark.

"What?" Hitler's face changed as he quickly tried to salvage things. "Lord Mercer, perhaps you're unaware, but St. Leen is an expert in Hollow excavation and holds high prestige within the industry—"

"No need to continue. Next." Sol rose and opened the door, calling out, "Representative of White Star Institute, come in."

Seeing Sol's stance, Hitler could only step aside with an ugly expression, grumbling inwardly: 'So rude—such a nouveau riche attitude. It was only a Hollow eradication. If St. Leen put in its full effort, we could have accomplished it too.'

The White Star Institute representative hurried in, beginning a new round of offers.

Two minutes later, he too was asked to wait outside.

And so it went—one after another, representatives of non-TOPS Alliance groups entered, only to leave after two or three minutes, faces equally grim.

High Ambitions Corp, Three Gates Corp, and St. Leen's rivals in the TOPS Alliance, however, remained calm. They showed no signs of annoyance at waiting, instead smiling brighter with each passing moment.

"Our group is willing to give you sixty-five percent of the net profits. This is already the industry's ceiling price—please give it due consideration," one major group's representative declared.

Yet seeing the sour faces of his peers who had gone before, even he felt uneasy, forcing him to play his trump card outright.

"All right, please step outside."

Sol showed no hesitation in dismissing him, then called in the representative of High Ambitions Corp.

He had already seen the limits of the non-TOPS groups—sixty-five percent was as far as they could go, even after watching others fail.

Now it was time to see what the TOPS Alliance would bring to the table.

"Lord Mercer, meeting you is truly an honor."

Migros of High Ambitions Corp entered with a deep bow, his sincerity outshining that of the dozen who came before.

"I too am honored to receive the attention of the TOPS Alliance," Sol replied with a smile. "So tell me—what sincerity does High Ambitions intend to show in exchange for this cooperation opportunity?"

"Seventy percent of net profits. High Ambitions will handle all the trivial matters, leaving you with seventy percent in the end." Migros beamed as he spoke.

"Seventy?" Sol was genuinely surprised. "None of the non-TOPS representatives were willing to offer seventy, yet High Ambitions—a larger group—asks for even less?"

Migros explained with some pride, "To be frank, yesterday we learned of your sparring match in Section 6. For a Void Hunter-level powerhouse, naturally, greater respect must be shown."

"I see—your information network is quite sharp."

Sol was struck by realization.

The fight had only taken place at noon yesterday in Section 6, and already the TOPS Alliance knew.

It seemed their ties to New Eridu's officials were indeed deeply entwined.

"And regarding Hollow cooperation, what is your view?"

Migros asked with a smile.

"I'd still like to hear from the others."

Sol declined politely.

It wouldn't do to decide before hearing them all.

"No problem, as you wish." Migros showed no displeasure, adding, "But due to internal contracts, our offers are all identical."

By our, he naturally meant every group in the TOPS Alliance.

A Void Hunter could support the weight of any one TOPS group. Thus, whether it was Three Gates, High Ambitions, or St. Leen's allies, they all sought to recruit him.

But rules demanded that the Alliance stand as one, forbidding excessive competition.

Of course, should the prize grow larger—say, Sol claiming ownership of Hollow Zero with power far surpassing a Void Hunter—then such rules would crumble instantly.

"I understand." Sol nodded lightly. "Still, they should be heard out."

With that, Migros bowed and withdrew.

Next, the representatives of Three Gates and St. Leen's partners entered one by one.

As Migros had said, their terms were identical to High Ambitions—seventy percent, not a fraction more or less.

At last.

Only Koleda Belobog and Ben Bigger of Belobog Heavy Industries remained outside, yet to be called in.

Watching as one group after another entered and exited, with even TOPS showing no special treatment, Koleda grew increasingly nervous.

"Belobog Heavy Industries, please come in."

Sol beckoned them forward.

Out of the many competitors, only TOPS and Belobog had dared to reach seventy percent.

His final partner would be chosen from among them.

"Coming, Sol-oniisan."

Koleda forced out the words, her face burning with shame.

Ben looked on sympathetically. For their proud president to bow her head this far in the name of cooperation was painful to witness.

Even with Grace, to whom she was closest, Koleda would only ever call her sis in private, never sister.

"Mm?" Sol raised an eyebrow, then broke into an amused smile. "Come in quickly, Koleda my imouto, and Mr. Ben."

Though it seemed out of character for Koleda, watching the red-haired tsundere struggle with her reluctance delighted him deeply.

Koleda… little sister?

Hearing the address, Koleda felt ants crawling over her skin, her toes curling hard enough to bore a hole in the floor.

Yet Sol's different treatment filled her with hope that cooperation was within reach.

Koleda and Ben hurried inside, leaving behind a crowd of stunned onlookers.

""Hmph? Perhaps I should've called him Brother Sol earlier?""

Migros, Hitler, and a few others wrestled with the thought.

For the prize of Hollow excavation, even if Sol was younger than them, they wouldn't mind being the little brothers.

***

T/N: So in retrospect, Crowell, Miguel and Stella were supposed to be Kroll, Migros and Hitler. Yes, you heard me right. The last guy name's is HITLER from St. Leen, and here I thought I was crazy since at first the pronouns were of the weird but no this chapter confirms it.